


Hook & Line

by Lillian



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, M/M, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-11-12 20:14:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18017705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lillian/pseuds/Lillian
Summary: Each of them is a train the other misses.





	Hook & Line

**Author's Note:**

> The AU here is that Tony & Pepper never got back together after Civil War, and that Peter's a year or so older.

There's a hook underneath Peter's ribs that reels him inexorably to Mr. Stark. There must be one for Mr. Stark too, only attached to the groin and leading to any warm body in the vicinity. If that's true no one can fault him for acting on it, least of all Peter. Hooks like that are impossible to resist. And Mr. Stark is so magnificent that it makes sense he would pluck one of the endless array of eager strangers for a few hours of distraction like it's his due. It _is_ his due.

Peter gets his turn as well, a whirl on the roller coaster that is Mr. Stark, followed by the inevitable "let's forget about this, Parker" while Mr. Stark shrugs his shirt on looking impossibly beautiful and untouchable for all that he still has traces of Peter's saliva and sperm on his skin.

Peter nods vigorously, although he imagines a reply from him is just a formality. Mr. Stark's made up his mind.

Peter doesn't want to lose Mr. Stark completely.

 

///

 

He's so young, Tony thinks. It's so easy at that age to tumble into a passing infatuation and imagine it is a love for the centuries. Tony himself never did, but he was a cynic born, or so it felt like. He waits, for the shining admiration in Peter's eyes to fade, replaced by the irritation that inevitably settles in after prolonged exposure to Tony Stark. Any day now it's bound to happen. Such things pass so quickly at Peter's age.

At Peter's age at Peter's age at Peter's age.

At Peter's age, Tony had his first and only girlfriend. Not because he liked her that much, but because he wanted to know if he were missing something beyond all the fucking of strangers whose names he didn't know.

A month in he caught her sucking off her dealer, roommate or something, and he was disappointed that he didn't care at all. After she spit the dick out post haste she apologized frantically, and Tony said "it's fine, I came here for the service, not the exclusivity" and she cringed away. Tony didn't even mean to insult her, just to put her mind at ease in case she really felt bad about it, instead of feeling bad about losing access to Tony's money.

At Peter's age, Tony couldn't help but act cruel and he fully expects Peter to be the same way.

 

///

 

Peter plays games with Ned and thinks about how Mr. Stark is just like the demo version of the latest expensive title. Only with Mr. Stark you can never get the full version, let alone the game of the year's edition. Not for love, begging or money. Just a try, that's all you can hope for, just long enough to know what you're missing.

Peter's room is getting messy. He gives it a lick and a promise while thinking that he'd like to do the same to Mr. Stark.

He eats with Mr. Stark sometimes, snacks after training or suit repairs or the occasional hanging out session in the workshop. Mr. Stark inhales pizza and talks throughout and still manages not to do anything so uncouth as to chew with his mouth open, and Peter holds the words he'd like to tell Mr. Stark in like candy on his tongue. Sweet and gingery, stinging his mouth a little, hard candy that refuses to melt down.

Mr. Stark never acts suggestively. As far as he's concerned, the few kisses and the rub he had between Peter's thighs probably didn't even count as sex. Peter wants it desperately to count, to be able to say if only to himself that his first time was with Tony Stark. But he can't. He wants more and he knows he's not going to get it, and he _knows_ he's going to regret it for the rest of his life.

The only thing he doesn't know is how short that's going to be.

 

///

 

Sometimes Tony wishes he'd got back with Pepper. They could have been married by now, perhaps with a kid on the way. All so safe, the perfect insulation against doing something selfish. Again.

But Pepper doesn't deserve that, and Tony's not such a bastard these days to ignore that.

What he is is very good at ignoring what needs to be ignored for Tony to function, and he does that. He does that perfectly until Peter turns to dust in his hands.

And what good was all that denial now? What good was all the misery and starvation? Peter didn't get a chance to shuck off his teenage crush any more than Tony will ever get to shuck off the guilt now. If he had to feel guilty about something, he wishes it was for indulging in Peter, for taking advantage of the no doubt fleeting feeling he had for Tony, because anything he could have done that seemed unacceptable yesterday is dwarfed now by the horrific wrong of getting Peter killed.

He realizes then, with his bloodied fingers sunk into Titan's hard soil and the coldly insane, calculating gaze of a fellow vengeful monster regarding him appraisingly, what he will do. Not even what he must do, because his course of action seems charted in the stars, immutable.

He will get Peter back.

He will keep him for as long as he can, he won't hide, and he won't care who objected.

Most of all, he will stop listening to the faulty conscience that never steered him true. Weapon development, Ultron, Sokovia, the Accords, Peter, it never pointed him to the right choice, so what use is it? After Afghanistan he was so sure he would ride this line to the bitter end, but it looks like he's jumping off early.

It's a weight off his shoulders.

 

///

With his last breath, Peter feels happy. As he looks away from Mr. Stark he finally lets go of the crushing weight of unrequited love that has been choking him down for so long.

It's a relief, finally, that he won't have to love Mr. Stark any more.

He apologizes for it, for leaving Mr. Stark alone when he meant to always support him. It's fine, probably, Mr. Stark will be okay without Peter.

They're both free now. 

And it's...

Such a relief.

**Author's Note:**

> The working title for this was Chrysalis, but I decided it was too pretentious and didn't fit the finished fic. In my mind they didn't quite transform into their "final forms" at the end so even if Peter came back to a much darker Tony there would still be hope for a happy ending. Anyway, as always I hope you enjoyed this.


End file.
